This invention relates generally to a patient immobilization harness and, more particularly, to an adjustable harness for immobilizing a patient on a support such as a backboard.
Restraint devices are commonly employed to immobilize an injured person who has suffered a possible spinal trauma so that the person can be transported to a hospital or other treatment facility. Because even the slightest movement of the injured spine may aggravate the neural damage to an extent that serious permanent disability may result, much attention has been focused on harness type restraint devices which are used in conjunction with a rigid or semi-rigid backboard to immobilize the spinal column and minimize the risk of further injury. Examples of such harnesses are provided in U.S. Pat. Nos. 3,889,668 to Ochs et al., 4,422,454 to English, and 4,841,961 to Burlage et al.
When restraining a patient on a backboard such as disclosed in U.S. Pat. No. 4,841,961, it is important to prevent bending or twisting movement of the spinal column as could be caused by lateral sliding movement of the patient on the backboard. The laterally extending straps provided in the harness disclosed in that patent cooperate with openings provided in the backboard to restrain the injured person in either a prone or supine position on the rigid board and are effective to reduce bending or twisting of the spine by restricting lateral sliding.
During transport of the patient, it is also important to prevent any longitudinal movement of the patient on the supporting device to minimize the risk of further injury resulting from such movement. While conventional harnesses are generally effective to prevent rotative and lateral movement, many are ineffective to restrain longitudinal movement which might occur if the backboard is tilted toward the patient's head or feet.
It is also desirable that the straps from the harness be placed over bony portions of the patient rather than areas such as the tracheal region where pressure applied to the larynx might obstruct the breathing airway. In harnesses which permit longitudinal shifting of the patient, such pressure can result by shifting of the straps even if the harness straps are initially placed appropriately.
Another problem associated with conventional harnesses is the difficulty in adapting the harness for use on individuals of different heights and girth. As a result, an emergency vehicle must be provided with a range of harness sizes so that the appropriate size is always available for use. In addition to the added expense and storage problems resulting from stocking a number of such harnesses, delays often result when trying to locate and apply the appropriately sized harness.